There nothing quite so satisfying as getting my house back after Christmas. I know some people still aren’t done celebrating the holidays, but my family is, and I’m ready for things to go back to normal.
Growing up, my mom always said it was bad luck to take our Christmas tree down before the New Year. My husband is from the Netherlands, and he says they don’t take down their decorations until January 7th. Yikes!
It’s the day after Christmas, not yet even noon, and my house is completely undecorated (on the inside, anyway)! Don’t get me wrong, I’m no Scrooge. I love the holidays just as much as the next person. We put up our tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We decorate the entire house, inside and out, and I love it. But once the holiday happens, I’m over it.
I haven’t written anything in a week, and it feels so weird. I’ve been sleeping until 7 or 8 every morning, when I usually get up at 5. I’ve been eating so much junk food, I’m not going anywhere near a scale until mid-January at least.
I feel such a sense of accomplishment to look at my normal, undecorated house. I’ve already got my alarm set for 5 tomorrow. I’ve got a completed first draft that needs to be edited and a third of a new work-in-progress that’s begging to be finished. I love the holidays, not just for the family time and festivities, but because they help me to appreciate the long stretches of normal that come in-between.
**Update: As of 3:30pm, the outside is undecorated too. I’m officially done!
